It all started when I was twelve years old.
My mother noticed that my once thick, auburn hair had become very thin. She blamed it on a cheap brush and comb set I got for Christmas. That immediately became obsolete. From then on I began to develop bald patches and was taken to the doctor. He thought I might have an iron deficiency and put me on iron tablets. This didn’t help so I was sent off to the dermatologist at the hospital who announced that I had Alopecia.
This was one of the worst times of my life. My bald patches were getting bigger and my hair thinner. I dreaded going for hospital appointments. I had to have a course of steroid injections in my scalp and the door would be left open so all the patients in the waiting room could see my exposed bald patches as the doctor injected me. I hated it and then I was sent for sun-ray treatment twice a week.
‘For a teenager, this was almost too much to endure’
I had to strip to the waist and was put in front of a sun-ray lamp for a set amount of time and then a timer would go off and I would have to turn around to have treatment on my back. Every now and then one of the nurses (all male) would peep through the spy-hole to make sure I was alright.
None of this treatment worked and the patches got even bigger and I was prescribed two wigs, on the NHS in those days. The wigs were real hair but itchy, thick, and not very comfortable. Quite honestly they looked a mess too and I would have to take them to the hairdressers to be sent away to be dry-cleaned every so often, which is why there were two.
‘Then one day a lady from the NHS contacted my mother to tell her that The NHS couldn’t prescribe wigs anymore, I had to buy my own’
My wigs wore out, as they do, so off I went at the age of eighteen to buy my own. This was the hardest thing to do as there was no internet in those days, so I went to the nearest town and searched for somewhere that sold wigs. At last, I found a department store and hurray! They sold wigs.
Gingerly I looked around the wig department and was terrified that someone I know might see me. All the wigs were awful and they didn’t have my colour so I bought a completely different colour. What was I to do? I needed a new wig! I survived, however, I lost all my confidence and began to withdraw from society.
Anyway, life has to go on and eventually I met my husband who helped me grow in confidence.
As Wi-Fi became more accessible it was easier to get better wigs and shop around. However, some of the wigs online were cheap and inferior (well you get what you pay for) and some companies were not customer friendly. Then I discovered Simply Wigs. Thank heavens!
They have a good range of fibre and real hair wigs and they are so helpful. Also, they don’t make me feel different; shopping there is such a natural experience. I often just browse their website because it’s so interesting and informative. I love the little chocolate inside the lovingly packed wig box too.
We are all warriors….everyone single one of us !
We all have our own amazing stories on our wig ” journey “. Thank goodness we can share and strengthen each other x
I am now 70 and first wore a wig when I was 28. I totally relate to the experience of NHS wigs. The only alternative was shopping in a large Department store with a flimsy curtain as a small concession to privacy. Shopping online was a huge relief but as you say the wigs supplied were of mixed quality. Finding Simply wigs has made such a difference providing consistently good choice, quality wigs, excellent service and not least sharing similar experience and being inspired by all you lovely people.
Thank you for sharing.; yours is an inspiring story. I have found my confidence improving as I age…it’s not just about the fabulous and well-constructed options for we alopecians, so much as the feeling I have now that, if I have hair, very few look any further. By the time you get to our age, you are more aware that every single person has ‘design faults’. Some are visible, some are not. Ours is completely solvable…Amen to that xx
I am aged 58 and began to develop alopecia aged around 10 years old, so some of your feelings and experiences really resonated with me. I was fortunate that I only had this mildly (with small bald patches) until I was 29, when it became much worse. I remember the pre-internet days and how hard it was to find good information and good wig suppliers. My first synthetic wig was so awful I quickly stopped wearing it! Finally I found a shop in London where I could access great wigs and sympathetic stylists. More recently I have become a Simply Wigs customer and I love the fantastic selection they offer. Glad that your life (and confidence) has improved as you have got older. Thanks for sharing your story. X
You poor thing, especially as a young girl, such awful treatment. I am so glad life is better for you now. xxx